Abstract:
Using the unusual color properties of gold at the nanoscale, scientists at Northwestern University have developed a “litmus test” for DNA and small molecule binding that eventually could be used by pharmaceutical companies to rapidly identify promising candidates for new anti-cancer drugs.

The detection system, called colorimetric screening, can be used to detect a variety of targets, such as DNA, small molecules and proteins, that bind to DNA, and the strength of the bond is indicated by a simple color change.